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THE PRIESTLY BLESSING IN THE ASHKENAZI SYNAGOGUE:RITUAL AND
CHANT
Eliyahu Schleifer
If one had to select the most impressive ceremony in the
traditionalsynagogue, it is quite certain that the choice would
fall on the ritual ofbirkat kohanim, the threefold priestly
blessing (henceforth PB). Theceremony whereby the kohanim stand
barefoot in front of the ark withtheir prayer shawls covering their
heads, bodies and hands, with theirarms, stretched out under the
cover, swaying right and left, is a ritualthat inspires mystery and
awe. The feelingof otherworldliness is greatlyenhanced by the
ancient chants and melodies that come from under theprayer shawls
of the kohanim. All Jewish communities from Yemen toLithuania
cherish special chants for the ritual and they are all worthy
ofresearch. Yet the Ashkenazi traditions have developed the richest
varietyof chants, melodies and compositions for the PB.
Paradoxically, this is due, at least in part, to the
restrictions that theAshkenazim imposed on the ceremony. The
Ashkenazi communities inthe Diaspora perform the ritual fewer times
during the year than anyother Jewish community within the rabbinic
tradition, yet they have therichest number of chants and melodies
for the PB. The richness springsfrom the association of the PB with
certain Festivals and Holy Days, it isinfluenced by the customs and
beliefs associated with the PB, which, tobe sure, are common to
most Jewish communities, but are stronglyexpressed by the
Ashkenazim. It is also related to the admission of folkmelodies
into the ritual. Cantorial chants and florid recitatives
werecreated for substitute prayers when the PB ritual was not
performed andifnally, the Reform struggle with the ritual and the
attempts to reshape ithave helped to create numerous compositions
in modern styles.
♦ This study owes much to Israel Adler's exemplary catalogue of
musical manuscripts (Adler1989). Some of the conversations Prof.
Adler and I had on various topics in conjunctionwith the catalogue
inspired me to research the melodiesof the priestly blessing. I
would liketo thank Dr. David J. Gilner, director of the Klau
Library at the Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion in
Cincinnati and the other librarians there for their help inopening
for me the treasures of the Birnbaum Collection.
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234 Eliyahu Schleifer
The purpose of this article is to survey the traditional
developmentsof the PB ritual and its music in the Ashkenazi
communities in bothCentral and Eastern Europe and to discuss the
later developments in theReform congregations of Germany and North
America. In order t0 d0this properly, we must probe into the
various spiritual meanings of theritual as well as its historical,
halachic and liturgical aspects, each ofwhich has contributed its
share to the complex web that created thecontext within which the
music of the PB has developed. We thereforeneed to start from the
beginning and weave our way through the variousdevelopments until
we reach our times.
ORIGINS OF THE PRIESTLY BLESSING:THE TEMPLE AND THE EARLY
SYNAGOGUE
The PB through which the kohanim, the traditional descendants
ofAaron the archpriest bless the people Israel, evolved out of the
JerusalemTemple worship. There the priests blessed the people daily
duirng thesacirifcial ceremonies. The injunction upon the priests
to bless the peopleand the formula of the blessing is given in the
Book of Numbers6, 2227.
לאמר משה אל יהוה וידברלאמר בניו ואל אהרן אל דבר
להם אמור ישראל בני את תברכו כהוישמרך יהוה יברכך
ויחנך אליך פניו יהוה יארשלום לך וישם אליך פניו יהוה ישא
ישראל בני על שמי את ושמואברכם ואני
The Lord spoke to Moses saying:Speak to Aaron and to his sons
saying:Thus shall you bless the children of Israel saying unto
them:"May the Lord bless you and protect you.May the Lord shine His
face upon you and be gracious unto you.May the Lord lift His face
to you and may He grant you peace."Let them place My Name upon the
children of Israeland I shall bless them.2
1 A concise overview of the historical development of the PB
ritual is given in Elbogen 1993:66266. Our survey will depart from
his in vairous points.
2 An interesting scientiifc interpretation and translation of
the Blessing is suggested byHanan Brichto, EJ 13: 106061.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 235
The pirestly invocation, an ancient prayer of great beauty
andclassical simplicity, asks for and at the same time promises
God'sblessing, protection, light, grace and peace. The rhetoric
power of theinvocation lies in its concise layout. Formulated in
but fifteen words, theblessing is organized in three
cleverlystructured verses: All verses arelinked by the invocation
of God's name as the second word; the two lastverses are connected
by three common words and the verses grow fromthree to ifve to
seven words. The structureof the verses and their rhythmmust have
played an important role in the reverence that the PB hasenjoyed
from ancient times to nowadays. Many have venerated it as
anincantation of magical powers and have used it on amulets to ward
offevil spirits.3
The biblical injunction concerning the PB does not provide
anyinstructions for the priests as to when and how to bestow this
blessingupon Israel. It is generally assumed that the formula was
used in biblicaltimes during the ceremonies that accompanied the
daily sacrifices.4 Butthe priests pronounced it on other occasions
as well, especially duringfestive ceremonies of national
signiifcance.5
Talmudic descriptions of the Temple rituals suggest that the
PBceremony took place twice daily after the regular sacirfices in
the earlymorning and in the afternoon. On public fasts it was
performed threetimes, the last time towards sunset at the closing
of the Temple gates.6 Itwas placed in the short priestly liturgy
that accompanied the sacrifices.This consisted of three
benedictions of 'avodah, hoda'ah and salom (thepirvilegeof
worshiping God, general thanksgiving and prayer for peace).The PB
was performed between the second and third benedictions.7 Thusthe
prayer for peace could follow the promise of peace as pronounced
inthe PB.
The kohanim (pirests) performed the ritual while standing on a
dukan,a raised platform, or on the steps leading from the main
courtyard of the
3 The earliest amulets extant are two silver plaques from the
First Temple Peirod (7th8thCent. BCE) that were found in Jerusalem
during the archeological excavation season of197980. See EJ
Decennial Book (1994: 1023). In later times the PB was inscribed
onamulets against the evil eye. See "Amulet", in EJ (2:
906915).
4 While the finding of the abovementioned amulet cannot prove
the ceremonial usage of thePB formula in a formal ritual of the
First Temple, it can certainly suggest that thisvenerated text was
adopted from the Temple cult, seeReif (1993: 85).
5 See for example the descriptions of the consecration of Aaron
(Leviticus 9, 124, esp. v. 22),the ceremony on Mounts Geirzim and
Eval (Joshua 8, 3434) and the renewal of thePassover celebrations
at the time of Hezekiah (II Chronicles 30, 1327).
6 Mishnah, Ta'anit 1, 3.7 Mishnah,Tamid 5, 1; B. Talmud,
Megillah 18a.
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236 Eliyahu Schleifer
Temple to the wall that surrounded the sanctuary.8 They faced
thepeople and raised their hands above their heads.9 The pirests
chanted allof the three verses of the blessing without interruption
and theypronounced God's name kiktavo as written, i.e. they
enunciated theineffable Tetragrammaton YHWH.10 When they concluded,
the peopleresponded with the doxology "Blessed is the Name of His
gloriousKingdom forever".
The PB was always performed with chant. We can generally
assumethat the priests of ancient civilizations chanted their
sacred texts,especially the ritual formulae of great sanctity and
magical power. But apassage in the Midrash confirms the use ofa
chant for the PB beyond theshadow of doubt. The passage relates the
diligence in which the priestsconcealed the Holy Name, lest it be
abused and desecrated by unworthypeople. It quotes R. Tarfon
saying: "Once, when I was [standing] in linewith my brethren the
priests [in the Temple], I cocked my ear towards thehigh priest and
heard him uttering it [i.e. the Holy Name] betwixt thechant of the
pirests (ne'imat hakohanim)."u The ritual of the PB wastransferred
to the early synagogues with a few changes. In thesynagogue, the
pirests raised their hands only up to their shoulders,never above
their heads, they stopped after each verse so that the publicwould
be able to answer Amen three times, and they pronounced theHoly
Name as Adonay never uttering the ineffable Tetragrammaton. '2
8 According to a Baraita (Tosefta, Sotah 7, 7) the PB is
pronounced, "when the priestsstand on the steps of the Temple
hall". A fragment of some Zadokite document that wasfound in the
Cairo genizah may suggest that the priests surrounded the dukan
beforeblessing the people, see Levi (1913), but this is not at all
certain. I am grateful to Prof. BenZion Wacholder for directing me
to this source. Dr. Wacholder expressed his doubts thatthe words
דוכני יסובו in this document refer to a priestly processional.
9 According to one opinion in the Mishnah (Tamid 7, 2), the High
Priest raised his handonly up to his forehead, below his ziz, the
diadem on which God's name was engraved, asrespect to the Holy
Name.
10 The Talmud cites cases were the priests refrained from
pronouncing God's Holy Name. B.Yoma 39b quotes a Baraita (Tosefta,
Sotah 13) relating that after the deathof the HighPriest Simon the
Just, "his brethren, the priests refrained from blessing [the
people] withGod's Name". Later rabbinic literature interpreted this
passage to mean that since thedeathofSimon the Just, God's Name was
pronounced as Adonay even in the Temple. SeePaksher(1993: 45).
According to the Midrash (Numbers Rabbah 11, 8), when the
sinners)i.e. those who took God's Name in vain) multiplied, the
Name was transmitted only tothe most pious priests.
11 Numbers Rabbah 11, 8 and B. Qiddusin 71a. The latter source
mentions also God's name"of twelve letters" and of "forty two
letters".
12 See Langer (1988: 1012) on the desire of some rabbis to
perpetuate the Temple form ofthe PB in the synagogue.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 237
CURRENT ORTHODOX PRACTICE
The current Orthodox practice of the irtual is still based on
that of theearly synagogue, which in turn is derived from the
Temple cult.However, during the centuires it acquired many rules
and bylaws as wellas new interpretations. The most important
sources of these are theTalmud (mainly in B. Sotah 38a40b) and
midrashic lore (particularlyNumbers Rabbah 11, 35). The rules were
summarized or reiterated andcodified by the rabbinic authoirties
such as Maimonides (11381204, inhis Misneh Torah Hilkot teifllah
14) or Joseph Caro (14881575, in hisSulhan 'aruk Orah hayyim 128,
Hilkot nesi'at kappayyim). R. MosesIsserles (known as the ReMA, ca.
15251572) summarized the Ashkenazipractices in his commentary on
the Sulhan'aruk and in various responsa,and his rulings became
standard for all the Ashkenazi communities.13
The PB ritual is performed duirng the cantor's loud repetition
of the'amidah. Just as it was in the Temple, it is still part of
the threebenedictions mentioned above 'avodah, hoda'ah and Mom (the
pirvilegeof worshiping God, general thanksgiving and prayer for
peace) and it isplaced immediately before the last benediction,
birkat Mom Thekohanim must officiate barefooted, just as their
priestly ancestors didin the Temple.14 They should stand in front
of the congregation,preferably on a dukan a raised platform in
front of the Holy Ark (hencethe popular appellation dukan and in
Yiddish dukhanen or dukhenen forthe PB ceremony itself).15 While
they bless the people they shouldofficiate with their backs to the
Ark, facing the congregation. They must
13 The halachic regulationsof the PB are summairzed in Idelsohn
1932: 192194. The bestthesaurus of rules and regulations pertaining
to the PB is Paksher 1993. The mostthorough English expositionof
the ritual, its rules and its meanings as seen from a
currentOrthodox point of view is Gold 1981. On the controversy
about the early synagoguepractice of the PB, see Hoffman (1979,
esp. pp. 5356).
14 This is presented in the Talmud as one of R. Yohanan ben
Zakkai' nine decrees. The sagesof the Talmud wondered about the
reason for this rule and offered an unconvincing one:The kohen must
not wear his sandals lest the lace would tear and he would miss the
ritualbecause he would have to ifx the sandal there and then. And
if he would not perform theritual, people might think that he had a
blemish or that he was forbidden to bless Israelbecause he came of
dubious descent. (See B. Sola 40a). The Ashkenazi custom is to
wearsocks or other light nonleather footgear.
15 Prof. Hebert Paper, in a conversation with me, said that he
believed that the Yiddishdukhenen came from the Slavic dukh which
is the basis for words that indicate 'spirit' or'ghost'. I have not
been able to ifnd conifrmation to this etymological
interpretation.Nevertheless it stands to reasons that Jews (or even
nonJews) in Slavic countries wouldassociate this ceremony with the
world ofspirits and the kohanim under their white prayershawls with
apparitions.
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238 Eliyahu Schleifer
pronounce the PB in Hebrew and they are not to skip a single
word. Thecantor or another member of the congregation must prompt
them wordbyword.16
The ritual of the PB is called nesi'ut kappayyim or nesi'at
kappayyimi.e. raising the palmsof the hands. While the kohanim
raise their hands tobless the people, special sanctity engulfs them
and especially the palms oftheir hands.17 Therefore they must wash
their hands before officiating.Preferably, the descendents of the
nonAaronite sons of the tribe of Levishould pour the water on their
hands. According to a common Jewishbelief, the sekinah God's
presence dwells on the kohanim and especiallyon their fingers while
they bless the people. It is therefore forbidden tolook at the
hands of the kohanim during their ritual.
On which days should the PB ritual take place? This is a
ratherconfusing issue. In Israel, especially in Jerusalem, the
ceremony takesplace once every weekday, in the morning (during
Saharit service), twiceon the Sabbaths, NewMoon Days (roshodes) the
three PilgrimageFestivals and Rosh Hashanah (the second time during
the additionalAfwsa/service), again twice on the four official fast
days (the second timeduring the late afternoon minhah service) and
three times on YomKippur (the third time at the last service of the
day, Ne'ilah beforesunset).18 All Jewish communities, Ashkenazim
and Sephardim alike,follow this rule. However in the Diaspora the
rule is quite complex and itdepends on local customs and
restrictions that developed during theages. The westernSephardim
and Italian communities restricted it to theSabbaths, Festivals and
High Holy Days. The CentralEuropeanAshkenazim restircted it
further. They proscribed it on the Sabbathsand limited it to the
Three Pilgrimage Festivals and High Holy Days.19
16 See Nulman (1985: 9495). Nulman cites the remark of the Keli
yaqar commentary onGenesis interpreting this custom in a mystical
way. According to this interpretation, thecantor, who recites the
words of the PB on behalf of the congregation, strengthens
theblessing of the kohanim. Thus the power of the blessing is
enhanced by the dialoguebetween the emissaryof the people (the
cantor) and the transmittersof God's blessing (thekohanim).
17 Debated among rabbinical authorities, see Gold (1981: 43),
this is nevertheless a strongbelief among the people.
18 In Haifa, Safed and other places in the Galilee, the ceremony
is not performed onweekdays.
19 Some communities limited the ritual to the A/usa/ services on
the Festivals and RoshHashanah if they occurred on weekdays (but
not on Sabbaths) and to the Musaf andNe'ilah services on Yom
Kippur. Others, especially the communities of the
Rhineland,performed the ritual during the Saharit service as well
and some did so even on Festivals
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 239
The Ashkenazi communitiesof Eastern Europe were the most
restrictive.They allowed it only during theMw5a/servicesof the
Three Festivals andRosh Hashanah and theMusaf and ne'ilah services
on Yom Kippur.20Thus, in the Ashkenazi Diaspora the ceremony could
be performed froma minimum of fourteen to a maximum twenty seven
times during theyear. Various reasons were given for the
limitations, but none of them issatisfactory.21 Perhaps the primary
cause was the fear that the frequentrepetition of the ceremony
would help make the synagogue a permanentsubstitute for the
Jerusalem Temple; but even this cannot be confirmed.The ceremony
could therefore be performed only in services where thelonging for
the restoration of the Temple worship in Zion was mostclearly
pronounced. Be it as it may, that the ceremony was performedonly on
the special Festivals and High Holy Days made it
precious,mysterious and holy and inspired the Ashkenazi communities
to adorn itwith special chants and melodies
ORDER OF THE PB RITUAL IN THE ASHKENAZI SYNAGOGUES
The common procedure of the PB ritual in most Ashkenazi
synagoguesis as follows: During the loud repetition of the 'amidah
when the cantoris about to conclude the benediction of qedussat
hasem the kohanimleave their regular seats at the synagogue. Those,
who for some reasoncannot officiate, exit the synagogue22; those
who can, remove their shoes
and Holy Days that occurred on the Sabbath. For details see
Paksher (1993: 79)and especially his commentary Meqor haberakah,
notes 2544. See also Zimmer (1996:13251).
20 See for example the prescirption for the Rosh Hashanah and
Passover morning servicesaccording to the customsof Worms in
Kirchheim (1987: 106108, 121, 233, 235236) andcf. the
AustroHungarian customs as represented in Tirna (1979: 5657).
21 Elbogen 1993: 64 remarks: "It [i.e. the PB ritual] seems to
have fallen into desuetude inEurope very early, apparently because
it made the prayer too lengthy, and also becausepriests were not
always present in the synagogue." But the length of prayer was not
animportant issue before the nineteenth century and there is no
reason to believe that in anygiven community during the Middle Ages
fewer kohanim would attend the services on theSabbaths than, say,
on the eighth day of Passover.
22 According to the strict rules of halacha, a kohen is
forbidden to officiate at the PB if hehas a blemish on his hands or
one or moreof his fingers are missing,ifhis hands are dirtyor dyed
(however, if the congregation know him well he is allowed to
ofifciate); if hispronunciation of Hebrew is unclear; if he has a
sick stomach; if his beard never growsbecauseof hormonal
deficiencies;if his clothes are torn to the point that his arms are
seen;if he is guilty of killing another person, even by accident;
if he transgresses against Jewishlaw out of ideological motives;
ifhe is drunk; ifhe is marired to a divorcee or any womanforbidden
to him by Jewish law; if he is a son ofa woman that was forbidden
to his father;if he has touched a dead body recently, or if his
profession makes him defiled by touching
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240 Eliyahu Schleifer
and walk to the basin that is usually located in the vestibule.
There, theyare attended by the Leviyyim who pour water on their
hands. Afterwashing and draining their hands, the kohanim reenter
the synagogueand when the cantor chants the benediction of 'avodah
(worship) theyproceed towards the ark.Ifthe synagogue has a dukan
(a raised platformbefore the ark), they ascend it and if not, they
stand on the floor beforethe ark. They face the ark while the
cantor chants the benedictions of'avodah and hoda'ah
(thanksgiving). When the cantor reaches theconcluding paragraphof
hoda'ah with the wordsvekol hahayyim yodukaselah the kohanim raise
their prayer shawls over their heads and pullthem forward to cover
their hands.23 While doing so, they pray softly:
May it be your will, מלפניך רצון יהיOur God and God of our
Fathers, אבותינו ואלהי אלהינו ייthat this benediction הזאת הברכה
שתהא[by] which you have commanded us שצויתנוto bless your people
Israel ישראל עמך את לברךbe a full blessing שלמה ברכהand that it
should not contain בה יהיה ולאany obstacle and sin, ועון מכשול
שוםnow and forever. עולם ועד מעתה
Then, under their prayer shawls, they raise their hands to the
heightof their shoulders their fingers are closed. When the cantor
concludes thebenediction of thanksgiving, he, or a member of the
congregation, criesout "Kohanim!".24 This signals the kohanim to
begin their blessing, andsummons the congregation to rise and face
the kohanim but to avoidlooking at them. The congregation rises.
The people whose seats are inthe mizrah the front of the synagogue,
move towards the middle of the
dead bodies regularly (e.g. ifhe is a physician); ifhe is in the
seven daysofmourning for aifrst degree relative. If he is not
fasting, he is not allowed to officiate on the fast day. SeePaksher
(1993: 4168). These rules are not strictly followed nowadays.
23 R. Moses Isserles in his addendum to Caro's Sulhan 'aruk,
Orah hayyim 128, 23 notes thefollowing: "Thekohanim. .should not
look at their hands, therefore they have followed thecustom to draw
the prayer shawl over their face and [leave] their hands outside
the prayershawl. There are, however, communities where [the
kohanim] are used to [hide] their handsinside the prayer shawl so
that the people would not watch them." Most Ashkenazikohanim
nowadays follow the latter custom, only a few leave their hands
uncovered.
24 The call for the kohanimis not voicedif only one kohen
officiates. If the cantor himself is akohen, he must ofifciate with
the other kohanim, then someone else from the congregationannounces
the beginning of the ritual and prompts the kohanim.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 241
sanctuary and turn towards the kohanim in order that they too
beincluded in the blessing.25 All congregants bow their heads. In
somecongregation people cover their heads with the prayer shawls.26
Fathersgather their children under their prayer shawl or place
their hands on theheadsof the children so that the blessing would
be transmitted to them.27
Meanwhile, the kohanim spread their fingers in the traditional
formso as to form in each hand an image of the Hebrew letter shin28
(ש)joining the hands thumb to thumb. Then they begin to chant
theirbenediction:
Blessed are You, Lord, יי אתה ברוךour God, King of the Universe,
העולם מלך אלהינוwho sanctified us קדשנו אשרwith the holiness of
Aaron אהרן... של בקדשתו
The kohanim now turn around clockwise to face the congregation
andthey conclude their benediction:...and commanded us ...וצוברto
bless His people Israel ישראל עמו את לברךwith love. באהבה.The
congregation responds: Amen}9
25 According to Talmudic sources, only those who stand in front
of the kohanim receive theblessing. See Caro Sulhan 'aruk, Orah
hayyim 128, 28 and Paksher (1993; 133).
26 Some orthodox women developed the custom to face sideways
during the PB ceremony s0as not to be tempted to look at the
kohanim.
27 Cf.Genesis 48,1320.28 This form is the only one accepted in
the Ashkenazi tradition. However, it seems that in
old days the kohanim spread their fingers evenly with spaces
between all fingers. The Book0(Zohar (Numbers 146b) says: "We have
learned: A kohen who spreads his hand [for thePB] must [insist]
that the fingers would notbe joined one with the other, in order
that the]ten] Holy Crowns would be blessed each separately"
Furthermore, the Zoharrecommends placing the right hand above the
left {Zohar: Re'aya meheimna, Numbers,145a). Ashkenazi Kabbalists
strive to spread their fingers in the traditional manner and atthe
same time create hair'sbreadth spaces between the joined ifngers,
they also lift theirright hand slightly above their left.
29 In Frankfurt, the kohanim said the preliminary benediction
facing the congregation. Thesame custom is common among the Hasidim
of Habad (Lubavitsher). Turning around inthe middle of the
preliminary benediction is an attempt to compromise between
twohalachic opinions. Rashi (commentary to B. Sotah, 39b)
maintained that the kohanimshould face the congregation before the
preliminary benediction, whereas Maimonides)Hilkot Tefdlah 14, 12),
maintained to the contrary that they should face the
congregationafter the preliminary benediction, see Gold (1981:
40).
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242 Eliyahu Schleifer
The cantor (or a man from the congregation) chants the words
ofthePB and the kohanim repeat after him word by word.30 Duirng
thechanting of each of the seven words yevarekeka, veyismereka,
eleka,vihunekka, eleka, leka, and salom the kohanim turn their
torsos and swaytheir hands left and irght, to the South and the
North, in order to includeall the people in their blessing.31 The
swaying is extended on the lastword: Mom.32 The congregation
responds Amen after each of the threePB verses.
When they have concluded the benediction, the kohanim turn
aroundclockwise to face the ark again. Then they lower their hands,
close theirifngers, put their prayer shawls back in the normal
position and murmurthe following prayer:
Masterofthe universe, יבונושלעולםwe have done that מה עשיניwhich
you decreed upon Us. עלינו שגזרתYou too, do unto us עמנו עשה אתה
אףas You have promised us. שהבטחתנו כמה"Look down from your holy
abode, קדשך ממעון "השקיפהfrom heaven, השמים מזand bless your people
Israel ישראל עמך את וברךand the land You have given unto Us, לנו
נתתה אשר האדמה ואתas You had sworn to our forefathers, לאבותינו
נשבעת כאשרa land lfowing with milk and honey."33 ודבש" חלב זבת
ארץ
At the same time the cantor chants aloud the last benediction of
the'amidah according to the appropirate modal patterns of the day,
whilemembers of the congregation recite to themselves the Tahnudic
prayer:
30 Some Middle Eastern communities, such as Yemen and Egypt,
follow Maimonides'opinion that the ifrst word of the PB,
yevarekeka, is to be chanted by the kohanimimmediately following
their benediction without being prompted by the cantor. Anexample
can be found in Idelsohn 1925, no. 14. The custom is not common
among theAshkenazim.
31 In Frankfurt and some other German towns the kohanim turned
their heads, not tneirbody(Gold 1981: 42).
32 Ashkenzi halachic authorities have disputed the custom of
swaying on the last word> smcethe word salom is a noun, not a
verb. Those who were against swaying on it maintainedthat the act,
which is a symbolic inclusionofall the congregants into the
blessing, shouldtake place only on the words that include the
pronoun you, i.e. verbs that end with *esecond person suffix ף
(Gold 1981: 4243).
33 The end of the prayer is based on Deuteronomy 26, 15.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 243
,Mighty[God] on High, who dwells by power34בגבורה שוכן במרום,
אדירYou are Peace and your name is Peace שלום ושמך שלום אתהMay it
be your will that you grant unto us עלינו שתשים רצון יהיand unto
your people, the house of Israel, ישראל בית עמך ועל.lifeand
blessing to safeguard peace35 שלום למשמרת וברכה חייםThe kohanim
remain before the ark until the end of the cantor's
chant. Then they descend from the platform, they put on their
shoes andreturn to their regular places in the synagogue. While
they go back totheir seats, people greet them; shake their hands
and thank them with thewords yissar koah
THE SIMPLE CHANT
Kohanim vary considerably in their singing ability, most of them
do nothave any musical education. They are never even trained to
chant theirblessing, but absorb their melodic lines in early youth
by listening totheir fathers and other older members of the family.
According toreligious law, they should begin to officiate in the PB
at the age ofthirteen years and one day, when they become Bar
mitzvah. But they areencouraged to participate with the older
kohanim from an early age.They learn the chant by performing it.
Each of them develops his ownvairant, or variants, and when a few
kohanim chant together, one canalways hear melodic lines in
heterophony. In spite of their meagertraining, many kohanim are
able to sing complicated melodies (althoughmany complaints have
been voiced on the poor execution of these).Thus, when we survey
the melodic repertoire of the Ashkenazi kohanimboth east and west
we ifnd that the PB chants ranges from the simplechants to
complicated melodies.
In its simplest form the chant can be heard in the
Ashkenazisynagogues of Israel, mainly in Jerusalem, on weekdays and
Sabbaths.Since the Ashkenzi community of Israel is predominantly of
EasternEuropean descent, all the kohanim, including those of the
CentralEuropean parentage, utilize versions of the EasternEuropean
chant.36
34 Meaning of Hebrew uncertain.35 Taken from B. Berakot 55b,
this was originally a Talmudic alternative prayer for anyone
who dreamt a dubious dream. This issue will be discussed
below.36 Tragically, only a handful Israeli congregations is of
GermanJewish descent and even
they have forgotten their original chants. Their prayers are now
dominated by EasternEuropean chants.
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244 Eliyahu Schleifer
The chant isof two parts: (a) the preliminary benediction, user
kiddesanubikdusato sel aharon, which is sung by the kohanim alone,
and (b) the PBproper, where each word is chanted by the cantor and
repeated by thekohanim. The congregation answers Amen after the
preliminarybenediction and after each of the three priestly
verses.
The Israeli custom to perform the PB ritual daily gJves us
anopportunity to examine the EasternEuropean Ashkenazi chant in
itssimplest and basic form. The chant version given as Ex. l is
anapproximation of the simple chant that could normally be heard
inIsraeli Ashkenzi congregations. The chant spans a flfth (in
ourtranscription d to a), it utilizes four notes: dfga. The 1owest
note dserves as the opening note of the chant and of most melodic
Patternswithin the chant. It is also the ifnal noteof eachof the
three verses ofthePB and thus is alsotheifnalis ofthe entire chant.
The middle note fmaysound as f# or higher by some kohanim and
anywhere between f and fby others. It marks a semicadence in the
preliminary benediction (somekohanim also end the preliminary
benediction on it) and it closes a11 tnewords of the PB save the
last word of each of its three verses. The note 8is the dominant
recitationtone in the preliminary benediction, but in thePB itself
it assumes a less important function and is usually
exchangeablewith a. The highest note a marks the stressed syllables
in the Ashkenazipronunciation of Hebrew, which is usually the
penultimate syllable ofthe word. In the preliminary benediction, it
marks the most stressedsyllable in each group of words.
Modally, the simple PB chant is related to the group of
EasternEuropean chants that serve as aid in Talmudic studies and
other similarfunctions and which some scholars subsume under the
category of"study mode in minor".37 The reason for this
relationship is not clear. /tmay have stemmed from the thought that
the PB is a quotation from theTorah.38
37 See ofr example Cohon (1950: 2629).38 Other prayer chants
that are related to the "study mode" in the EasternEuropean
tradition are the benediction before the Torah reading, the
mourner'sqaddis and the earlymorning prayers on weekdays.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 245
Announcer Congregation
1| ,1 j> ,1 wbbnbbb j iKo ha nim! Am k' do she choko 0
mur.
kohanim C\
Bonich a to a doy noy c loy hey nu me lech ho oy lom s^j
a sher ki de . sho nu bik du shosoy shel a haoryn vi tzi vo nuX
voreych es .. _ /T) congr. rs
a . moyyis ro ey!b' a . ha vo. o meyn
ye vo re chocbo ye vo er chpcho A doynoy A doy coy
vi yish me re cbo v* ytsh me er cho o meyn
yo eyr yo eyr A doy noyA doy noy po novkc k c
קי" "* יי ^ ק Iyxx J ^po nov ey !e cho eyle . cho vichu ne
ko
congr. c *
.)J .'P^ J n r יי ^==? 'יvi chu ne . ko כי meynyi soyi so
*) ^ " J' ■' ■~~r " ~"" '~~ ~~~xA doy noy A doy noy po nov po
nov
$0m \^\ 11 jj ^iij^^j 111J^ey le cho ey le cho V yo seymv" yo
seym le cho
14^ J J 111J ^j 1N rQ 11 j
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246 Eliyahu Schleifer
Very few examples of the simple chant of CentralEuropean
communities have come down to us. The versions given in cantorial
manuals areusually adorned with Festival and High Holy Day
melodies. One versionof a simple chant is given in Lewandowskfs Kol
Rinah u'T'ifllah of 1871(p. 74, no. 99). Since this manual was
intended to serve as guide andresource book for cantors in small
congregations, the PB chant thatLewandowski provides under the
title Sseder Duchan was indeedminimal, containing only the
essentials for the cantor, the kohanimand the congregation (see Ex.
2)
The chant begins with the cantons call "Kohanim!" and
thecongregational response (lead by the choir) Am qedoseka, ka'amur
afterwhich the kohanim chant their preliminary benediction (the
choir andcongregation respond Baruk hu uvaruk semo and Amen at
theappropriate places). Then the cantor chants each word of the PB
andthe kohanim repeat it in the same melodic pattern. The choir
andcongregation answer Amen after each priestly verse.
The chant is clearly divided into two musical sections. The
first one isthe chant of the kohanim; the second is the combination
of patterns ledby the cantor. The kohanim tend to hover around the
recitation tone gespecially in the first segment of their chant,
which ends with the wordssel Aharon. At this point the kohanim turn
around to face thecongregation and the recitative becomes more
varied. It now aimstowards the patterns of the cantor. The cantor
uses the cadential patterndef#g of the kohanim and, by omitting the
f#, turns it into the initialpattern of each verse. The cantor's
patterns are cleverly organized toaccommodate the growing verses
from three to ifve to seven words, andthe patterns always lead to
the cadential formula of the congregationalAmen (see Table 1).
Table 1.Melodic patterns in the simple PB chant according to
Lewandowski.
Melody deg gab abe c'ba gad b eagf^g ef#g
Verse 1 Yevarekeka Adonay Veyismereka AmenVerse 2 Yaer Adonay
Panav Eleka Vihunekka AmenVerse 3 Yissa Adonay Panav Eleka Veyasem
Leka Salom Amen
The sophisticationof the chant, its tendency towards the major
mode,the Amen cadences and the common time of the patterns make
onesuspect that it is a product of the Moderate Reform tendencies
of the
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 247
SSEDEBDCCHAN.
. " Vorb. , Chiu' ti.Qtp. /1 | 1 f> 11**"■ ^^ /I | I || Jl Jl
11 IIll.1 1J I
Ko. ha . nat■< >יי0ט יי 1. 1l!"'Chor a.Gvm. Vurh■ 1 1 I
.
/" 1 1 Ml I17_HIH 'IIN I I,1 . chu . m*.V1). " . 1un. Ji . *so,
0 ■ ■">.!. P" "0*.>
Chur u.Gein.
11 , 1llL'Li IILJJI "!,.M ■e.It . oho. Vjn . sseiu. icho, echo
..lota0 . "*".
Example 2. Sseder Duchanfrom Lewandowski 1871: 74, no. 99.
nineteenth century (about which, see below). Yet a closer look
will revealsome traces of older type chants. The ambitus of the
chant is a mereminor seventh dc5 with a heavy reliance on g as
recitation tone and
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248 Eliyahu Schleifer
ifnalis. The modal scale could be described as HypoIonian rather
thenmajor, the chant for the preliminary blessing is similar to the
one in otherGerman sources.39 and some of the patterns are similar
to those used inGermany duirng the saharit services of the Three
Festivals.40 We maytherefore conclude that the chant is a
combination of old and newelements and as such it should represent
the basic formulae as would beaccepted in some Western Ashkenazi
synagogues during the nineteenthcentury. However, many Ashkenazi
synagogues could not be satisifedwith such short patterns because
they were inlfuenced by the custom inwhich the congregation
responded to each word of the kohanim with abiblical verse.
THE PRIESTLY BLESSING AND CONGREGATIONAL VERSES
In the Temple and perhaps also in the early synagogue, the
congregationremained silent during the ritual of the PB; it was
only allowed a shortresponse at the endof the blessing or at the
endof each verse. From earlytimes, however, people felt a need to
offer some prayer duirng the ritualof the PB, as if to respond in
kind to the blessing uttered by the kohanim.Some rabbis maintained
that the congregation should recite fifteenbiblical verses, one
during or immediately after each word of the PB,others objected to
the practice and allowed only an Amen response aftereach of the
three verses.
The controversy goes back to Talmudic times and is still an
issue incurrent synagogues. Referring to the congregational verses
(B. Sotah40a) R. Hiyya bar Abba said: "Whoever recites them [in the
synagogues]outside the Temple is in error." R. Hanina bar Papa
added, "Know thatthey should not be recited even in the Temple. Is
there a servant whowould not listen [quietly while] being blessed
[by his master]?" To this, R.Aha bar Hanina retorted: "Know that
one should recite them even [inthe synagogues] outside of the
Temple. Is there a servant who would notpay homage [while] being
blessed [by his master]?'5 In the sixteenthcentury, R. Joseph Caro,
the greatest authority on halacha, forbade therecitationof the
congregational verses.41 R. Moshe Isserles permitted
thecongregational verses, but he concluded his dictum with the
suggestionthat "it is better not to recite them." R. Jacob Emden
(16971776), the
39 E.g. Baer (1883: 287, no. 1251).40 Cf. Lewandowski (1871: 54,
no. 73).41 Sulhan 'aruk, Orah hayyim 128, 26.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 249
greatest authority on Ashkenzi liturgical practice after
Isserles, statedcategorically: "[Membersof the congregation] are
not permitted to reciteany verses while the kohanim bless [the
people]. This is the law of theTalmud."42
The responsive verses remained popular among the
Ashkenazicongregations in spite of the rabbinic objections,43 yet
the selectionsvaried considerably from one community to another.
Attempts towardsstandardization are found in French sources of the
fourteenth century,such as the Mahzor Vitry by R. Simhah ofVitry
and Orhot hayyim by R.Aaron Hakohen of Lunel.44 Over the centuries,
the selections were fullystandardized and most Ashkenazi printed
prayer books prescribe thesame verses.45
Needless to say, even those who condoned or encouraged
therecitation of the responsive verses did not intend them to be
voicedallowed or chanted, but to be muttered, whispered or
merelycontemplated by the members of the congregation. Yet some
Ashkenazicongregations chanted them aloud. R. Judah Ashkenazi of
Tiktin, in hiscommentary to the Sulhan 'aruk protested against this
custom saying: "Ihave witnessed a scandal whereby a multitude of
people screamed theverses in a loud voice and then went back [to
the beginning of theselection] and again screamed all the verses
from yevarekeka to the word[which was chanted by the kohanim], and
one could not hear the voice ofthe kohanim for their voices."46
R. Judah would have been scandalized even more if he heard
theinnovation introduced in Lithuanian and Latvian choralsynagogues
atthe end of the nineteenth century, whereby at the end of each
priestlyverse, the choir and the congregation sang the additional
responsive
42 Emden (1904: 257)43 See Paksher (1993: 17).44 A comparative
table of verses as they appear in these sources is given in Paksher
(1993:
148).45 In some prayer books, such as the one by the Hatam Sofer
of Pressburg, two verses are
given for each word. The standard verse in regular letters and
an additional or subsidiaryverse in smaller type.
46 Commentary Ba'er heitev to Sulhan 'aruk, Orah hayyim 128, 26.
The standard prayerbook of the CentralEuropean Ashkenazim, Seder
'Avodat Yisrael by Seligman Baer(1868: 35960), provides the
standard verses, but in the preface to the PB ritual it instructsus
as follows: "Those who use to recite verses that correspond to
every word of theblessing should take care to say them only during
the cantor's chant, but not during thechant of the kohanim and it
is better not to say them at all."
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250 Eliyahu Schleifer
verses aloud to metrical melodies.47 It seems though that the
singing ofsuch verses was a unique custom of these synagogues and
not thecommon practice in other traditional Ashkenazi
congregations.48
CONGREGATIONAL VERSES AND THE CHANT OF THE KOHANIM
As mentioned above, in spite of his reservations, R. Moses
Isserlespermitted the recitation of the congregational verses in
Ashkenazisynagogues. He explained that his permission was given on
the basis ofthe prevalent minhag (accepted custom)49 that in turn
was based on ahturgicalmusical consideration. Isserles remarks:
"Nevertheless, sincenowadays the kohanim chant [the PB] with
prolonged niggunim[melodies], it has also been customary [for the
congregation] to reciteverses, just as I have explained aboveas
regards Bareku" Isserles refershere to the custom of many Ashkenazi
congregations to recite adoxology while the cantor chants an
outdrawn melody on the wordsBareku et Adonai hamevorak at the
beginning of the evening service orthe beginning of the Sema'
section in the morning service.
This raises a Uturgical chickenandegg question: Did the
kohanimprolong the PB chant in order to enable the congregation to
recite theresponsive verses, or vice versa, did the prolonged chant
of the kohanimgenerate the recitation of the verses by the
congregation. In the samemanner one could ask whether the need to
recite the congregationaldoxology made the cantors prolong the
chantof the Bareku, or the long,melismatic chants of the cantors
lead to the creation of the alternativedoxology for the
congregation. Practical thinking would support the firsthypothesis,
namely that the kohanim began to prolong the chant after
thecongregational verses were introduced.
47 The melodies are found in two sources: (1) Ms. Mus. 145(d)
dated "Paglin 1905" in theBirnbaum Collection at the Hebrew Union
College, Kiau Library, Cincinnati. It containsa number of Eastern
European PB chants that Birnbaum notated as he heard them from
acertain cantor Paglin from Lithuania. The source contains a rather
confused notation ofthechant for the cantor and the kohanim, and a
clearly written melody, marked Chor, for thetwo congregational
responsive verses following the priestly words veyismereka and
Mom.(2) Bernstein (1927: 81, no. 193). Under the title somreni el,
Bernstein printed the samemelodies for the responsive verses. His
notation carries the remark: "Niggun at theduchenen. Introduced
decades ago in the choralsynagogues of Kovna, Vilna, Libau,et
a/."
48 The use of the verses in Sulzer's synagogue will be discussed
later in this article.49 In liturgical matters, an accepted custom
may override a rabbinical law. See Langer (1998,
esp. pp. 245254(.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 251
The alternative hypothesis is more in line with the medieval
fear ofthe liturgical horror vacui. To avoid the empty feeling of
uncontrolledmoments, liturgical spaces had to be iflled in. Thus
the Christian liturgyfilled the spaces that were opened by the
melismatic chants withadditional tropes and sequences, texts and
additional syllabic chants. Itis therefore possible that the
congregational verses were introduced inorder to ifll in the
liturgical spaces that had been generated by the long,melismatic
chants of the kohanim. Once a prayer of this kind wasinserted, the
chant had to grow even longer in order to allow furtherspace for
the prayer.
While the usual Ashkenazi practice as recorded in most
musicalsources of the nineteenth century is not to prolong the
melody for everyword of the PB, some older rabbinical responsa may
indicate that thekohanim used a melody for each word, or perhaps
even two or moremelodies for the same word. Outside of the
Ashkenazi realm thereexisted testimonies to this effect since the
fifteenth century. R. Aharon ofLunel in his book Kol Bo (ca. 1490),
Section 225, testifies to theProven9al custom. He explains that the
cantor prompts the kohanimword by word in order to make sure that
they do not err, because theysing a long melody on each and every
word and are therefore prone tomistakes. ומלה מלה בכל מאד מנגנים
שהן לפי יטעו שלא מלה מלה אותן מקרא החזן לפיכךלטעות. קרוב יהיה שכן
וכיון
An Ashkenazi responsum of the same century, by R. Israel
Isserlein)Terumat haDesen, Resp. 26; Isserlein died in 1460 in
Neustadt nearVienna) testifies that the Ashkenazim too used long
melodies for eachword (see Isserlein 1882). The response deals with
the following question:"Kohanim who chant the PB when they ascend
the dukan, are theypermitted to sing two or three melodies, such as
[a different melody] forevery verse or a different melody for every
word?" Isserlein's response isnegative. While he approves the
general custom to chant the PB with anextended melody and praises
the kohanim who are able to do so, henevertheless warns them to use
one and the same melody for all thewords of the PB, lest they
confound the sacred text. This, he says, mayhappen to the best
musicians among them. As their minds are occupiedby the changing
melodies, they would miss the prompting of the cantorand utter the
words in a wrong order.
When Isserlein refered to all words of the PB, he may have
meantonly twelve out of the fifteen words of the benediction. A
restriction onchanting God's name Adonay to an extended melody was
generally
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252 Eliyahu Schleifer
observed in all Ashkenazi communities. Of the other twelve
words, theseven on which the kohanim turn left and right were the
ones mostcommonly embellished. The sixteenthcentury authority on
the liturgicalcustomsof the townofWorms, R. Judah Low Kircheim,
says (MinhagotVermayza 1525: 107108): "And the following are the
words on whichthe kohanim double their niggun[= chant in this
context]: yevarekeka,veyismereka, eleka, vihunekka, eleka, leka,
Mom". In some communities,however, all the twelve words were sung
to one or more extendedmelodies. The earliest record of a melody
for the twelve words, whichwas used in an Ashkenzi synagogue, is
the one incorporated in thedocuments of the Ferrara controversy
during the early decades ofeighteenth century.
THE FERRARA MELODY
Israel Adler discussed the Ferrara melody extensively in his
magnum opuson the Hebrew musical manuscirpts.50 A summary of his
findings willserve our purpose here. The controversy was raised by
a pious, butperhaps not very wise kohen named Nehemiah b. Baruk of
Ferrara in thesummer of 1706. The subject of the controversy was a
melody that thekohanim of Ferrara used to chant for the twelve
words of the PB(excluding the word Adonay) while the congregation
recited theresponsive verses. Nehemiah protested against the
contemporaryexecution of the melismata of this melody in the
ItalianRite Synagogueof his town where he himself ofifciated as
kohen. He maintained that thecustomary singing of all of the
embellishments on the syllable a at theend of each word violates
the rules of Hebrew accentuation and hesuggested that on the words
veyismereka, eleka and vihunekka themelisma be sung un the
penultimate vowel e. Trying to implement hisideas, he was met with
fierce opposition and, at least for a while, he hadto leave his own
place of worship at the synagogue of the Italiani and hejoined the
Sephardi synagogue of the same town. He then sent for thelearned
opinions of some Italian rabbinic leaders of his times and
thecorrespondence resulted with numerous responsa and pamphlets pro
andcon.
The modern reader is astounded at the amount of erudition as
well asanimosity that was invested in this great controversy of a
versus e. Butthanks to this dispute we have an accurate
transcription of the melody in
50 Adler (1989: 2630(.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 253
two sources: One is Ms. Mich. Add 13 of the Bodleian Library
inOxford; the other is a printed book in the Klau Library of
HebrewUnion College in Cincinnati calledMezizumeliz (Venice
1714/15) whoseauthor is identified by Adler as Mordecai b. Jacob
Zahalon. Themanuscript and the book record part of the rabbinic
dispute and theefforts of Zahalon to ifnd a compromise that would
satisfy all parties.
The copy at the Hebrew Union College Library contains a fascicle
oftwelve pages that was intended as an appendix to the rabbinic
literatureon the subject. The fascicle prints four versions of the
melody inRenaissance diamondshaped notation. Of the four versions,
the ifrstpresents the customary melody as sung in the Italian
synagogue ofFerrara; the second provides the alterations suggested
by Nehemia benBaruk and sung in the Sephardi synagogue of Ferrara;
the third is R.Judah Briel's attempt to merge the previous two
versions. In this shapethe melody was sung in the Ashkenazi
(Tedesco) synagogue of Ferrara.The fourth version is presented as
the "Chant customary in the countriesof Ashkenaz" (see Ex. 3).
D. Mhkenazi version (other countires)|ול1.1:1 יברכך ■ t>
c
le va er chr ch< a * .V Z X . ladonnyj1.2: .psm^Si j1 1 ;<
/ ויו rrn 1Y111 ..וו'.י 11.1 ^1ויו' ve ii me eree c* (c)a 1 aa . ■
yr ._/ a
Example 3. The "Ashkenazi" PB Melody in Adler's transcription
(Adler1989:30).
As Adler has shown, the two "Ashkenazi melodies" are none
butvariationsof the Ferrara Italian tune.51 In spiteof their
titles, it is ratherdoubtful that they originated in any Ashkenazi
community outside ofItaly. It is difficult to prove that this
particular melody stems fromPeninsular or Mediterranean origins;
yet it does sound more Sephardi
51 The melody was reprinted in Vinaver (1955: 187, no. 41) with
words in an attemptedAshkenzi pronunciation. Vinaver accepted the
view that "the tune was employed by theAshkenazic communities of
that time."
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254 Eliyahu Schleifer
than Ashkenazi. The practice resembles Southern European
andSephardi traditions,52 a good example of which is a Moroccan
chantin Idelsohn's Thesaurus (Idelsohn 1929a, no. 237).
Nevertheless, while itis doubtful that the melody was ever used in
German congregations, i1 isstill clear that it was used in at least
one Ashkenazi synagogue, that ofFerrara.
MELODIES RECORDED BY ABRAHAM BAER
A ifrm testimony to the extensive Ashkenzi useofmelodies for the
twelvewords of the PB in German Ashkenazi congregations is found
inAbraham Baer's Baal TeifllahP Under the title Dukan
lakohanim(Priestersegen), Baer presents a selection of PB melodies
of theNorthernGerman and WesternPolish traditions in a scorelike
layout(see Ex.4).
The ifrst two staves marked M.A. (= Minhag Askenaz) represent
themelodies used in the German synagogues. Of these, the uPPer
stavecontains the melodies used during the Saharit services of
RoshHashanah and Yom Kippur and the middle stave prints the
melodiesused in the same congregations for theMusa/ services of the
High HolyDays, eighth day of Sukkot, ifrst and last days of
Passover and secondday of Shavuot. Each of the staves has a
doublestem notation. Usuallyin Baer this represents two versions of
the same melody. But the 1owermelodic line here seems like an
attempt to provide a second part otaccompany the melodies in modern
synagogues. The third stave markedm.P.u.A. (= Minhag Polin and
others) represents the melodies used inthe Polish synagogues on all
occasions. In all the versions, the cantor isexpected to sing each
word with its long melody and the kohanim are t0repeat both of
them.
The difference between the German and the Polish traditions is
Quiteclear. Whereas the German synagogues use extensive melodies
for a11twelve words (the holy name Adonay is sung to a special
short motif),their Polish counterparts content themselves with
melodies on the sevenwords on which the kohanim turn left and
right, and even there, themelodies are shorter and simpler. The
German melodies begin with 1oQgwordless strains and end with
closing cadences on which the wordsof the
52 See Seroussi (1996: 1069).53 See Baer (1883: 198199, nos.
857864 and pp. 287289, no. 1251(.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 255
לנהנים דוכן )Pirestersegen.)N? UBS. Jede AMlielliag ifrrd wtr
ToaTotreter ndtlrt.dus toi iar KoklalnTiederlioU.
m. p. eA■ 1^'^' 1 r s ^T^EE!^ 11 11 1J> "> re~T . . 7 .
eh'
^~"^ J1 voercb'dio tda.no] 1 ''' . ' I [
J'wo . rech' d>0 .oo.nq . ' ."? '
cho * *onoj *■' ' " ~~ ■ ' j^.^^^^^^ ^ Torbeter dann
Roh'iim.
JLrT"J^.'fT^T!?0.."'m"'.. .. 1 1^1lff.^J 1'11Pr1/^t''w7J■^
_S_ff1Wjiech w! n do 'men ' ' w■1 joer .3J noj
wy 1 11 1 '1 1 11 1 11 11 1 1ju
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256 Eliyahu Schleifer
מוסף
Vorbeter daan Koh'nin. ^^ p| ifn[flf .^tfS■■ L.jnil.inii.
' f" ' £w ji. .0!Jo . noj^
^'jL... L fi I noj P"< ■^liJJ' ' YUU V'f IfI('I I■.■ ^'"" ' f
''■^e.le. cho
/ 1 י י ו י ,1 ' ,' .i. now t . 18 יי* __^י>י* _jrf'/l p ■O■
L^J ^ I I r ' 1 ' ^^^ * I ■■"■■ 1> j,A
I ''JO aem £~Z ^v ^_. ^ ^ ^dl*
]* ' . ^J "V cho
יייי*^ ■" ^"^י ק HB ■v■ ^ Ml ' ' s^g . lom . Omm>
j ^iiiil'iiJ^iffi.iJ^i^iiWffiiT"/JrjTf II mm |l 1| | J UN,1 Ii
Tr Iff יי1 "f'ri ■™ C3S*■ ^^^ iccfo . . lonr. Omea.
Example 4. PB Melodies in 5aer'5 5aa/ 7e/?//a/1.
PB are chanted. The melodies consistof two asymmetrical
sections, eachof which is madeof two segments. Their complicated
structure and wideambitus make us wonder how the untrained kohanim
could have sungthem accurately. This is especially true of the
second melody, the oneintended for the Musaf services. While the
Saharit melody is clearlyderived from the familiar traditional
chants of the High Holy Da
-
The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 257
Baer, pp. 224227, nos. 10021024).54 theMusaf melody seems to be
acantorial creation connected rather vaguely to some chants of the
threeFestivals. Is it possible that contrary to Baer's indications,
the cantorperformed them in their entirety and the kohanim merely
repeated thecadences, or did the kohanim chant the lower, easier
version of eachmelody?
In addition to the dififcult melodic structure, the performance
of theritual according to these melodies needed a good control of
thecombination of the words, body movements and sections of the
melodyin the intricate pattern as shown in Table 2. In addition,
one shouldalways remember that many kohanim experience physical
stress when theritual is very long, because they must hold their
arms up and their ifngersspread out in the traditional shape during
the entire blessing.55
As a rule, in Baer's German melodies, the ifrst word of the PB
and thelast wordof each verse, which are accompanied by movements
to the leftand the right, are chanted with the whole melody. The
three other wordswith left and right movements (twice eleka and
once leka) are chanted tothe second half of the melody. The four
words with free movement ya'er,panav, yissa, panav, veyasem
alternate the ifrst and second halves of themelody. As mentioned
above, the word Adonay on which movement isfrozen, is chanted with
a special short motif. The same combination ofwords, movements and
melodic sections are used in other similarmelodies.56
The complex scheme as represented in Baer was by no means
thegeneral practice of Ashkenzi Jews in Germany. Some
congregationslimited the melodies to the words on which kohanim had
to move theirbodies and hands to the left and to the right. A wider
accepted practicewas to chant the extended textless melodies only
before the last word ofeach of three verses of the PB. These
outdrawn melodies enabled thecongregation to recite the prayers for
dreams and for sustenance.
54 Friedmann (1901: 272) advises the cantor to build the melody
of the High Holy Day PBceremony on the traditional pattern of the
Saharit service of the same days. An excellentexample of such
melody is the one by Abraham Jacob Lichtenstein. The melody
survivedin a facsimile transcription made by Eduard Birnabaum
(Birnbaum Collection, Mus.125(4)).
55 Some kohanim have complained to this writer about cantors who
had caused themdiscomfort by their long and outdrawn melodies. To
be sure, rabbinic authorities allowthe kohanim to relax their hand
position between the words of the PB, but the kohanim tryto avoid
that.
56 See for example Baer (1883: 198, no. 857 and p. 199, no.
864(.
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258 Eliyahu Schleifer
Table 2. Text, movementand melodic sections in Baer's German
melodiesof thePB
PB word Movement of Melody ofkohanim kohanim
Yevarekeka Left and irght WholeAdonay Frozen Special
motifVeyismereka Left and right WholeCongregation: AmenYa'er Free
1st halfAdonay Frozen Special motifPanav Free 2nd halfEleka Left
and irght 2nd halfVihunekka Left and irght WholeCongregation:
AmenYissa Free 1st halfAdonay Frozen Special motifPanav Free 2nd
halfEleka Left and right 2nd halfVeyasem Free 1st halfLeka Left and
irght 2nd halfSalom Left and right WholeCongregation: Amen
BAD DREAMS AND PRIESTLY MELODIES
Rabbinic lore has found various allegorical and mystical
connectionsbetween the Song of Songs and the PB. The earliest
associations of thiskind are found in the Midrash Numbers Rabbah
and the rabbis exploredthis avenue of interpretation during the
Middle ages and later. Thus, forinstance, the words "Behold, he
[the lover] stands behind our wallwatching through the windows,
peering through the lattices" (Song ofSongs 2,9) are connected to
the PB in the following way: God, the loverof Israel, stands behind
the wall of the synagogue, watching through thewindows, peering
through the ifve apertures.57 formed by the hands of
57 The word ,החרכים the clefts, is interpreted as החרכים הי =
ifve clefts or apertures.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 259
the kohanim through which He blesses Israel. A similar
interpretation ofSong of Songs 3, 78 connects the PB with fearful
dreams. The biblicaltext reads "Behold, the bed of the King
Solomon, sixty mighty mansurround it; [the strongest] of the mighty
men of Israel. They all holdswords, learned in warfare. Each man,
his sword on his thigh, againstfear in the nights." King Solomon in
this verse is another allegoricalimage of God, King of Kings,
Master of Peace,58 the sixty mighty menare the sixty letters of the
PB, each of which has the power to guardIsrael against fearful
dreams at night.59 Using this interpretation, theTalmud (B. Berakot
55b) suggests the following procedure as cure foruncertain
dreams:
ידייהו, דפוסי בעידנא כהני קמי ליקום חזא, מאי ידע ולא חלמא דחזא
מאן האימה יודע ואיני חלמתי חלום שלך, וחלומותי שלך אני עולם, של
רבונו הכי: ולימאאם אחרים, על שחלמתי ובין חבירי לי שחלמו ובין לעצמי
אני שחלמתי בין הוא,רפאם רפואה צריכים ואם יוסף, של בחלומותיו ואמצם
חזקם הם טוביםידי על יריחו וכמי מחליו, וכחזקיה מצרעתה, וכמרים רבעו,
משה ידי על מרה כמיעלי חלומותי כל הפוך כן לברכה הרשע בלעם קללת שהפכת
וכשם אלישע,
אמן. צבורא דעני כהני, בהדי ומסיים לטובה.Any man who has seen a
dream and does not know what he hasseen, let him stand up.60 before
the kohanim when they spread outtheir hands, and let him say thus:
"Master of the Universe, I amyours and my dreams are yours. I have
dreamt a dream and I donot know what it is. [All the dreams,] be
they those that I havedreamt about myself, or those that my friends
dreamt about me, orthose that I have dreamt about others if they
are good, strengthenand sustain them like the dreams of Joseph; and
if they needremedy, heal them as You did to the waters of Mara
through ourMaster Moses and as [You cured] Miiram of her leprosy
andHezekiah of his sickness and as [You purified] the waters of
Jerichothrough Elisha. And just as You turned the curse of Balaam
theWicked into blessing, so turn all my dreams for good.5' And let
[thedreamer] conclude [his prayer] together with the [last word of]
thepriests, so that the public may say Amen [on both].
58 According to this interpretation, the name Solomon, in Hebrew
Selomoh, is, derived fromsalom in a possessive construct that would
mean, "His is Peace". King Selomoh istherefore the Supreme King,
Master of Peace.
59 See Gold (1981: 44) for further discussion of this idea.60
May we deduce from these words that in Talmudic times it was
customary for the
congregation to sit before the kohanim, while the kohanim would
recite the PB standing?
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260 Eliyahu Schleifer
The prayer, which dates back at least to the early iffth
centuryAmoraic SchoolofAmemar II, Ravina and Rav Ashi, became
partof theregular PB ceremony in the synagogue. According to the
Talmudicstatement, the prayer was to be said once during the
recitation of the PB,and only by people troubled by dubious dreams.
In later practice,however, the prayer was enlarged and members of
the congregationwhispered it three times, once at the conclusion of
each verse of the PB.In the Ashkenazi communities, where the PB
ceremony was performedonly on the Three Festivals and High Holy
Days, this prayer became acollective supplication for all the
dreams that people had seen betweenone sacred day and the next.
Therefore all congregants had to recite it. Inmost communities the
prayer was not recited if the Festival or Holy Dayfell on the
Sabbath, since supplicationsof the kind were not to be said onthe
day of rest.
Kabbalistic interpretations of the PB encouraged the recitation
of yetanother supplication at the end of the ritual. The Kabbalah
interpretedNum. 6, 27 ("Let them placeMy Name upon the children of
Israel, and Ishall bless them.") to denote that God's name is
hidden in thecombinations of letters that make up the PB. The
sixteenth centuryKabbalist, R. Moses Cordovero, believed that the
hidden name is theKabbalistic mystical combination of twentytwo
letters expressed in thefour mystical words דיונסים פספסים פסתם
י6.אנקתם By complicated numericalcalculations of gematria Cordovero
was able to show how the ifrst fourwords of the PB hinted at the
four words of the Kabbalistic name andhow the rest were deirved
from them. The Kabbalists of the LurianicSchool regarded this name
as an appellation of the Divine Providence,the power that provides
food and clothing, sustenance and success tohumans.
The practical result of the Kabbalistic speculations was an
additionallong prayer that was recited by the congregation before
the last word ofthe PB. It is an appeal to God the Sustainer and
Provider to help theworshiper and his family by the virtue of the
Holy Name of twentytwoletters. The Name appears in the prayer, but
it must only becontemplated, never pronounced. Some communities
recited the prayerin addition to the one on dreams; however, most
of them limited the
61 See Cordovero (1786), Gate 21, Chapter 14. The origin of this
"name of twentytwoletters1' is unclear. On various interpretation
of this name see Heller (1908) and Kraus)1908), see also
"Gleichsetzung mit Dionysos und Sabazios," in Gressmann (1925:
1619).
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 261
recitation of the prayers for dreams to the end of the ifrst and
secondverses and recited the prayer for sustenance at the end of
the last verse.
While the congregation recited the prayers, the kohanim moved
theirhands and bodies to the left and the irght and chanted the
last words ofthe verses with an extended melody. Here again we face
the questionwhether the congregational prayers were created to fill
in the liturgicalspace that was opened by the long melodies of the
kohanim. The generalbelief among the Ashkenazim is to the contrary,
namely that the wordsthat end the PB verses were sung with extended
melodies in order to helpthe congregants say their prayers.
SEASONAL MELODIES FOR THE PRIESTLY BLESSING
In many Ashkenazi communities, both east and west, the melodies
werelimited to veyismereka, vihunekka and Mom the three words thet
end thethree PB verses respectively. There was however a major
differencebetween the melodies sung in the Germanspeaking countries
and thosesung in Eastern Europe. The former preferred the
traditional melodiesthat were associated with the yearly cycle
whereas the latter preferredvarious other melodies that developed
as local traditions.
The CentralEuropean Ashkenazim adorned each festival and holyday
with an identifiable melody, or melodic pattern. These
'seasonalmelodies>62 were of different origins. Some were
borrowed fromliturgical or paraliturgical piyyutim (i.e. poetic
texts); others wereadopted from secular Jewish songs or from
gentile sources. Used insalient prayers duirng the services, these
tunes served as special musicalgarments to highlight the uniqueness
of the holy day and thus togetherthey created a musical calendar.
Some of the same melodies weretransformed and incorporated into the
PB ceremonies. Thus they servedas a musical linkage between the PB
ceremony and the particular holyday.
Abraham Baer, whose transcription of the complex PB melodies
wasdescribed above, provides in his cantorial manual (Baer 1883:
198199,nos. 859862) a set of four such melodies (see Ex. 5). A
similar set of ifvemelodies, notated by Itzik Offenbach, is given
in his cantons manual ofca 182834.63
62 See Idelsohn (1929b: 144180) and Werner (1976: 81102). Werner
calls them 'SeasonalLeitmotifs'. "~
63 Ms. S.6337 at the Hebrew Union College Library in New York,
fol. 30a. Adler (1989:459468, esp. p. 467) has important
information about the Ms. and the origins of sometunes.
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262 Eliyahu Schleifer
^fSM &V/J35 /317 (Piresteersgen).
JTorrvch cho ?do.tioj "
ioje! sdnjtoj pon
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 263
Hodu melody associated with the shaking of the lulav for
Sukkot.64 Theifrst three melodies of Baer and Offenbach are
variants of the Festivaltunes. All of the three were originally
associated with the hallel servicesof the respective festivals and
were borrowed from the chanting of thepsalm verses hodu lAdonay ki
tov (Ps. 118, 14) or ana Adonay hosi'ah na'(Ps. 118, 25) into the
PB ceremony. Their connection to Baer'scorresponding hallel
melodies (no. 814 second melody for Passover,no. 815 for Shavuot
and no. 816 second melody for Sukkot) is quiteclear. Yet the
versions he uses for the PB varies from the originals. Thisis not
the case for all cantors' manuals. Thus, for instance, in his
manual,Aron Friedmann does not ifnd it necessary to provide
melodies for thePB on the Festivals; instead, he inserts a note to
the effect that the PBshould be sung "according to the melodies of
the hodu in the halkr(Friedmann 1901: 205).65
The fourth seasonal melody is titled in Baer I'Hazkaratnesamot,
i.e.for the memorial service. Offenbach calls it ניגון .מתים This
is a Yiddishtitle pronounced meysim nign and it is derived from the
Hebrew niggunmetim meaning "the melody of the dead" But contrary to
its titles, thismelody is not sad, mournful or macabre. If we could
rely on generalEuropean taste it would seem that the melody
inspires festivity and wellbeing. Indeed, the melody was known in
SouthernGermany as niggunmatnasyod and was associated there with
the festive ceremony ofMattenatyad, which was held on the last day
of each of the Three
64 On Addir hu see Idelsohn (1929b: 168196, 174175). The other
melodies have not beenproperly researched. There is some confusion
about the Akdamut melodies, Idelsohn)1929b: pp. 156, 160) and
Werner (1976: 8990) discuss briefly the psalmodic chant that isnow
used mostly in the Eastern European communities. They do not
mention the Westernmarchlike melody. Sulzer (1865, no. 143) prints
the chant as the congregational responseto a newer cantorial
melody. Friedmann (1901, no. 274) presents it as an "Alte
Melodie".Baer (1883, no. 822) prints four melodies two of which are
variants of the psalmodicchants and the march tune. I was unable to
find any research on the originsof the Sukkotmelody, my own feeling
is that it is derived from the prayer for rain, T'ifllat gesem
onSheminiAtzeret, but further research is needed. Baer describes
the last melody as P.W.,i.e. Polish melody. The melody does indeed
show some modal characteristics of EasternEuropean folk songs,
which may raise some questions about the supposed SouthernGerman
origins of some of the seasonal melodies.
65 The Birnbaum Collection (Mus. 72, Appendix 3, Notenblatt 4)
contains a melody for thePB, titled לפסח ,דוכן i.e. a PB melody for
Passover. Like so many other Western Europeansynagogue melodies for
this feast, the priestly melody is also based on the traditional
tuneof the famous Haggadah song Addir hu. The melody is
exceptional, however, because it setsall the words of the PB.
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264 Eliyahu Schleifer
Pilgrimage Festivals.66 Since this ceremony is now forgotten, it
needs abrief description.
The ceremony was based on the last verseof the Torah portion
that isread on the last day of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. In
this verse(Deut. 16, 17) the Israelites are enjoined to give a
donation (in HebrewMattenatyad) to the Lord on the Festivalsof
Pilgirmage, each accordingto his means. The ceremony developed
duirng the late Middle Ages inSouthernGermany and gradually spread
to other German communities.It was not known in Eastern Europe. The
procedure is described in themanuals of religious customs, mainly
those ofWorms and Frankfurt.67In Worms, the ceremony took place
immediately after the reading of thehaftarah. The monthly president
of the community would approach therabbi requesting him to receive
pledges from each member of thecongregation. The rabbi, holding the
communal Pentateuch in his hand,would ascend the bimah and would
exchange pledges and blessings withthe cantor. Then, after
pronouncing a blessing for all the dignitaries whosat on the bimah
the rabbi would descend with the holy book in his hands(in some
communities the rabbi would hold a Torah scroll in his arms),and
face each congregant separately. Every man approached would riseand
pledge a donation for the synagogue. In Frankfurt, money was
alsopledged for the "students of Torah and the poor peopleof
Jerusalem/'In return, the rabbi would pronounce a blessing on the
donor with aspecial Mi seberak prayer. Returning to the bimah the
rabbi would recitea collective blessing on behalf of the entire
congregation, after which hewould proceed to officiate in the
ceremonyof returning the Torah scrollsto the ark.
While the Rheinland Jews celebrated the Mattenatyad
ceremony,other German communities, especially those of Northern
Germany andsome of the AustroHungarian ones, observed
Hazkaratnesamot otherwise known as Yizkor the memorial service for
the dead.68 This
66 In the Diaspora, the eighth day of Passover, the second day
ofShavuot and the eighth dayof Sukkot (i.e. SheminiAtzeret).
67 See Kirchheim (1987: 191) and Kaschmann (1968: 228). See also
Baer (1883: 190).68 Chants and choral music for Yizkor are printed
in many cantonal books of Northern
Germany. See, for example Friedmann (1901: 206208, nos. 277279).
R. Eisik Tirna,whose book of customs describes the liturgical usage
of Austria at the beginning of thesixteenth century, mentions the
memorial service in the order of prayers for the last daysof the
Festivals, see Tirna (1979: 6566, 73, and 136). Austrian cantorial
books from thenineteenth and early twentieth centuries print music
for Yizkor. See Sulzer (1840: 9698,no. 62) and Wodak (1898: 152155,
nos. 442444). Wodak no. 443 is a special Mi seberak
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 265
was perhaps the resultof the inlfuenceofMinhag Polin namely the
ritualcustoms of the EasternEuropean communities on German Jews
fromthe eighteenth century on. In some German speaking
communities,mainly in Northern and Eastern Germany, both
Mattenatyad andYizkor were observed. Abraham Baer, cantor in
Goteborg (Gothenburg), SouthWest Sweden, speaks for many North
German communities when he says (Baer 1878: 190, no. 828): "On the
days whenMattenatyad takes place, therefollows.. .in most
congregations thememorial service of Hazkaratnesamot."
We therefore suggest that the melody described by Itzik
Offenbach asmeysim nign originated in the Rheinland communities and
wasassociated there with the atmosphere of generosity and wellbeing
thatthe Mattenatyad ceremony inspired. In fact, a variant of this
dltereMelodie served in Frankfurt as a joyful processional march
tune for thereturning of the Torah scrolls to the ark on the three
Festivals.69 Themelody was known throughout Germany, but it was
associated with thedead in the communities where the memorial
services were performed onthe same Festivals either after or
instead of the Mattenatyad ceremony.From there it was borrowed into
the memorial service on Yom Kippur.Variants of the melody were sung
in some Eastern Europe congregationson every occasion when the PB
ceremony took place without anyconnection to the Yizkor service.™
The second part of the melody canstill be heard in American and
Israeli synagogues of Eastern Europeanorigins.
The melody gained special popularity towards the end of
thenineteenth century. Together with the melodies of Kol nidrei
andMa'oz zur it was considered a symbol of Jewish national music.
It wasthen arranged for keyboard instruments as music for home
use.71 In1896, Ernst Pauer and Francis L. Cohen cooperated in
publishing ananthology of favorite Jewish melodies arranged for
piano by Pauer.Among other favorites, this publication (Pauer 1896:
1415) contains a
prayer for those who donate money to the synagogue in memory of
their loved one. Thismay reflect the influence of the Mattenatyad
ceremony on the Festival services of theAustrian congregations. Cf.
Tirna (1979: 65, note 34).
69SeeJaphet (1881: 91, no. 53).70 The Hassidim of Ruzhin sang an
embellished variant of the melody on all of the Three
Festivals and High Holy Days. See Sharvit (1995: 58, no. 47).71
Thus for instance, the Birnbaum collecion in Cincinnati contains a
simple contrapuntal
arrangement by Birnbaum himself (Mus. 135 a). The arrangement is
dated "17 Febr.1904" and was a (birthday?) gift to a friend, S.
Magnus.
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266 Eliyahu Schleifer
fantasyarrangement of the melody, under the title '"Matnath
Yad'Memorialof the Departed'. In his article on the PB (Cohen
1901), Cohenrelates that this arrangement "attracted the attention
of the 1ate QueenVictoria, and was played as the introductory
voluntary at severalmemorial services of the British royal
family."
In addition to the above four seasonal tunes, Itzik
Offenbachprovides a vivacious tune which Israel Adler (1989: 467)
identified as the"melody known in the oral tradition as the
'Fassbinder'tune...but closerto the tune of 'Ich ging durch einen
Grasgriinen Wald'". Adler cites aFrankfurt tradition (Ogutsch 1930:
91, no. 284, see Ex. 6 below) showingthat the melody was sung there
during the High Holy Day services.Ogutsch places the melody in the
Ne'ilah service ofYom Kippur and hespeciifes that the melody should
be sung in all the relevant High HolyDay services, and in theMm^/
services on the ifrst day of Passover andon the MatnasYod days.72
Ogutsch's version is the fullest and bestrepresentation of this
melody because it gives us an insight into thedivision of the
melody between the cantor and the kohanim. This is atypical German
nature and hunting' tune of the eighteenth or early
Nr. 284.pTIJIHJ (in alien rGebeten, bei af roflf amf V JV?0J
j'l'i'jIJ 1.11 |U| 1|il Ml| III 1'I'1 ' '1M11I' ', "" *
JNorrech' . cho Fmn■ ott oho, Adau n0J>
AdaunoJ VjiBchnfre cho
ויו,| 1 ■ II 1 1|1 ■II ■MM ■I 1I'M| ■ill11* ■* ' ■* + ~ Vjischm'
re cho.^
^' jn. now po now, e /e ch0
^^^ntttii^rHtffJIJ 1J I I UJjJIJJJIi■ n\ I 11*' ■j~ .+~ * ' g.
10 .cho __Z wichonnek ko^t
Example 6. The "Fassbinder melody" in Ogutsch 1930:91, no.
284.
72 A vairant appears in another Frankfurter cantonal book,
Japhet (1881: !02103, n0. 60)>with no assignment to a particular
Holy Day.
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The Priestly Blessing in the Ashkenazi Synagogue 267
nineteenth century with fast triple meter and horncalls (the
Eflat majorkey is no mere coincidence). Even the word Adonay the
notesof whichare not part of the original melody is chanted like a
horn call. Melodiesbased on German folksongs and rococostyle tunes
were sung in manyGerman synagogues even during the most solemn PB
rituals of the yearand way into the twentieth century.73 Does this
attest to a certaintendency of the German Jews to robust humor, or
to romantic and selfeffacing irony? It is hard to tell.
EASTERN MELODIES FOR THE PRIESTLY BLESSING
Contrary to their Western brethren, the Eastern European Jews
did notuse the seasonal melodies for the PB. As we have seen, some
EasternEuropean synagogues used the meysim nign for all Festivals
and HighHoly Days, but in most communities, other melodies were
sung. Thekohanim tended to preserve local melodies that were
transmitted orallywithin their families or within one congregation
or town. Some of themwere specific to certain holy days, but their
connection to the day wasnot necessarily through the traditional
nusah melodic patterns, butthrough some emotional connection to its
meaning.
In his abovementioned article, Francis Cohen brings an example
of amelody, which he describes as a "chantof Polish origin,
probably of theseventeenth century" and praises it as "a typical
example of a Hebrewmelody" (see Ex. 7). The chant is indeed typical
to EasternEuropeanmelodies for the PB. It is similar to tunes used
for the piyyutim on theEve of Yom Kippur and therefore may have
originally been used for thePB on the High Holy Days. Contrary to
Western practice where thekohanim were supposed to repeat the
melody of the cantor, here thecantor does not chant the melody. He
prompts the kohanim with theword to be chanted and leaves the
longer melody to the kohanim.
A comparison of PB melodies in German cantorial manuals and
inEasternEuropean collections shows that in addition to the
difference instyle, modality etc., there is a marked difference in
the oirgins of themelodies. With some exceptions, the German
melodies seem to springfrom the cantors' world of traditional
chants, seasonal melodies, rococo
73 A good example of a rococo melody in the shape of a minuet
(although marked asAdagio) is the one in Japhet 1881: 104105, no.
62). Another interesting one, for theseventh day of Passover, was
transcribed by Eduard Birnbaum (Birnbaum CollectionMus.126,4,
3(.
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268 Eliyahu Schleifer
BIRKAT KOHANIM
Ye . ba re . ke . ka:Ye ot" re ke i":Ad0 Ju/"
Kio . n_: We . yish .. me. re M Abl_____ ^ p w
Abl■___^ יי "י ^__ Lento. Ooso^eoatiow^ n
^י "]" ל ' Weyish meie . ka. A . . men.Example 7. PB
melody"ofPolish ongw" w Co/!ew 7907.
music and even cantorial fantasia, whereas the
EasternEuropeanmelodies come out of the oflk inventiveness of the
kohanim. Like folksongs in general, some were of genuine beauty or
interesting structurewhile others were trite ditties. This may
explain Abraham MosheBernstein's criticism. Bernstein, a most
important cantor of Vilna, acomposer and an avid collector of
Jewish music, found fault with theeastern PB melodies. In the
preface to his Muzikalisher Pinkos (Bernstein1927: col. XVXVI) he
expressed his disappointment with mos